Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Bird Flu

A BBC story today describes the recent discovery in Africa of the first case of bird flu in poultry. Though it has not been proven, some scientists are hypothesizing that migratory birds may be vectors in spreading the disease.Nearly all the birds affected have been domestic fowl--chickens and geese. Through early February, nearly 150 human cases have been diagnosed, and more than 70 humans (primarily in East Asia) have died from the human strain of bird flu, known as H5N1. Nearly all of these deaths involved people who were in close proximity to poultry.

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About Me

Name: Bill Thompson, III

Location: Southeastern, Ohio, United States

Bill Thompson III is the editor of Bird Watcher's Digest by day. He's also a keen birder, the author of many books, a dad, a field trip leader, an ecotourism consultant, a guitar player, the host of the "This Birding Life" podcast, a regular speaker/performer on the birding festival circuit, a gentleman farmer, and a fungi to be around. His North American life list is somewhere between 667 and 669. His favorite bird is the red-headed woodpecker. His "spark bird" was a snowy owl. He has watched birds in 25 countries and 44 states. But his favorite place to watch birds is on the 80-acre farm he shares with his wife, artist/writer Julie Zickefoose. Some kind person once called Bill "The Pied Piper of Birding" and he has been trying to live up to that moniker ever since.